Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-20
keeps the bar very barrow and cuts Off a |
great amount of the dennsit of aIlnuial


! HUeCes river.
| There IS on the mainland, some thirty
two miles from Padre Islsnd, L deposit
known as the rock beds, from which rock
can be shipped to the head of the island
for less than 81 per ton. This msterial
could be used in the building OF pier, or
in sinking mattresses placed to maintain
! the channel.
The crest Of the bar al Corpus Christi
Pass is about onefourth of mile from
the main island, and the depth Of water
! here varies from FIVE to six and half
feet. The bar itself is very barrow al
this point-iess than One-fourth of the
width OF any other bar on the Texas
coast. From its peculiar confguration,
deep water would be more EASILY main
tanned at this point than st any other on
the Texas coast, for the following
reasons:
"The Texas gulf coast is somewhat in
the form of horseshoe. South OF Aran-
sas Pass the bend commences to the east.
The prevailing winds in that country are
| from the southeast and the water is blown
by these winds onto the low lands: the
latter are from twenty to thirty miles in
extent, i. e., the lands lying behind the
islands. They are also the recipient Of
the drainage Of all the rivers of Texas.
! Southeasterly storms, blowing heavily for
three or four days, increases this water
so that il banks up on the loWlands re-
ferred to, and when, as is often the case,
a nOrther in the course of few moments
succeeds southeesterly storm, the water
is driven out in crest waves over the
Islands, as has occurred &t Harbor island,
! Indianola, Galveston and Sabine Pass.
Judging from the force OF small storms in
that country, l would say the great dan
ger is from the water which banks up be
hind the islands fringing the coast, rather
than from any water that might rush in
from the gulf side.
"Padre island lies directly north and
south, and the channel Of Corpus Christi
pass is in northwesterly and southeast
erly direction. The effect of storm from
either direction would be to deepen the
channel.
"By examining the chart, you will see
that the trend and depth of the river is on
the south side of Corpus Christi bay, and
much of its force wastes down the Lsguna
Madre. An embankmert built from the
northwest extremity Of the island to the
northeast extremity Of the mainland,
(Which is known as Flower Bluff would
cOntine this water to Corpus Christi bay
and increase the force OF the current
flowing from the Nueces river to the
gulf. There is no special reason why
Lsguna Madre should be kept open, there
only being 8 channel OF some twenty-five
or thirty feet in width, and four or five
feet in depth leauing into it from the bay.
1t might be well to put in drew bridge
that would enable boats drawing very
little water to carry stone from the rGCk
beds for ripp-rappng Or other purposes.
Gas to such piers as you might wish to
make, the cost would, of course, be
governed by the depth of water you
wished to resch aud the extent OF work
you would put on pier. The cost OF
throwing up en- embankment from the
msin land to the island and putting in g
small drawbridge over the channel would
not exceed S35, 600; and | believe gates
could oe used by which the absolute pre-
ventiCn OF any of the Water Of NueCes
river wasting down the Lsguna Madre
could be secured.
"There is no good reason why az
: embankment should not be solidly built
from the main land to the island and the
/ Lsguna Madre done away with entirely
1t is but low, marshy tract of land that
is never covered by more than eighteen
inches or two feet of water ct any season
{ of the year, save in the narrow chalne
of which have spoken.
81 would call your attention to the
! fact Of using hydraulic power for stirring
T up the sediment on this bar. 1t has beer
: used with much success in clearing
r distractions Ct He'll Gate, New TorE
t harbor.
The current from the river would carry
: the sediment to the gulf stream, and i
. would be borne by that q great distance
t from the shore. As | understand the
2 method of using hydraulic powers stream
g of water is forced through nozzle tina
i has somewhat the same rife or twist tina
8 gun-barrel has, giving the water Cir
D cular motion coming from the mouth o
o the nozzle; this communicated TO the
z main body of water forms small bu
Q fierce Whirlpool, that with rapidlt,
s hardly to be estimated, stirs up the sol
e on the bottom. Such work as this coulC
! be done 81 ebb tide. After the Construc
/ ton Of the embankment from Flowe
n Bluff to Point Padre, the sediment would
= be be carried Of by the ou'ioWin!
e waters. The embankment from the poin
y named could be put up by hand dredge
= for comparatively small sum per Cubi
Q yard
d There is quite an extensive basin O
Il deep water between Padre Island on tn
e south and Mustang Island on the north
l. and | would call your attention to tn
4 feasibility OF docking ships at the pier
g drawing TOO great depth Of water to g
over the bar, and Tightening them there O
" portion Of their cargo so as to enabl
lie them to be towed inside the harbor
d distance of less than three quarters of
It mile from the gulf when they could b
!, unloaded as well as loaded, to the neces
IT sary depths, which would enable them t
1t pass and repass the bar.
e The anchorage ground on the cutsid
lie Of the Pass is the best on the coast, and
It harbor could be made that would be pre-
D tected from gales from all quarters tina
4 would prove destructive. The high bluff
= of Mustang Island on the north are pre-
W lection from the northwesterly storms
Is and the highlands on Padre on the south
Is east afford protection from southeast
: storms.
l. 1t is well-known fact that no chang
;, has occurred in the formation OF the mort
ls end of Padre Island within the memor
v of man. In the year 1885, in compsn
- with Mr.. French. ran out Won Butcher